Replacing Kia and Gabby w/ Christyn & Megan... the good, bad & ugly..

[DavidinNaples]

No sane coach or fan would trade graduated seniors Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, even up for sophomore Megan Walker & freshman Christyn Williams. That said, with UConn's season set to start Sunday vs Vanguard, it would appear Geno will replace Kia & Gabby with Megan & Christyn. Here is one fan's guess at how that will go.

The Good - Gabby was an uber-athletic, 5'11" forward more comfortable near the basket than farther away. She went 1-12 from three-point range during her career, but led the team in defensive rebounds last season with 215. Megan is an uber-athletic wing who made 13 threes as a freshman in limited minutes (495). She did gather 82 defensive rebounds in 1/2 the playing time. Megan needs to fill a big defensive rebound hole left by Gabby. Her offense is perhaps more versatile with extended shooting range and more free throws per minute, (49 in 1/2 the minutes vs 69 for Gabby).

Kia was a hard-nosed "nasty piece of work" who led the Husky fast break and was 2nd on the team with 85 threes. Christyn will most likely lead the fast break when possible and by all accounts is a strong body, great with the ball in open court situations. If Christyn makes 35-40 threes, that would be great. Can't help but notice the similarity of Kia starting as a freshman early in the season, and Christyn's forcing her way into the lineup in her first game.

The Bad - Gabby's 191 assists dwarfed Megan's 29 last season. Together, Kia and Gabby had 293 assists and 903 points. That is a lot of production for two underclassmen to cover. Gabby's 87 steals led the team and her 52 offensive rebounds were 2nd. Megan showed ability with her 23 offensive boards but will need to become a disrupter on defense with steals and blocks. Christyn is an unknown, but has above average rebounding skills and point guard passing ability. Let's hope...

The Ugly - Replacing two shut-down defenders in Kia and Gabby will be impossible early on in the season and very difficult even in March. Both Megan and Christyn are physically talented, quick players. But Geno & company's biggest challenge will be developing those two as strong defenders capable of switching on screens, guarding bigger players and doing all the little things Geno preaches for great defense. Time will tell...

It may not be pretty early in the season, but it will be exciting to watch Christyn and Megan rise to the challenge of starting for the 11 time National Champions. They came to Storrs to be great. Here's your chance..!! Good luck..!!

Go Huskies..!!

 

[Carnac]

View attachment 35887

No sane coach or fan would trade graduated seniors Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, even up for sophomore Megan Walker & freshman Christyn Williams. That said, with UConn's season set to start Sunday vs Vanguard, it would appear Geno will replace Kia & Gabby with Megan & Christyn. Here is one fan's guess at how that will go.

The Good - Gabby was an uber-athletic, 5'11" forward more comfortable near the basket than farther away. She went 1-12 from three-point range during her career, but led the team in defensive rebounds last season with 215. Megan is an uber-athletic wing who made 13 threes as a freshman in limited minutes (495). She did gather 82 defensive rebounds in 1/2 the playing time. Megan needs to fill a big defensive rebound hole left by Gabby. Her offense is perhaps more versatile with extended shooting range and more free throws per minute, (49 in 1/2 the minutes vs 69 for Gabby).

Kia was a hard-nosed "nasty piece of work" who led the Husky fast break and was 2nd on the team with 85 threes. Christyn will most likely lead the fast break when possible and by all accounts is a strong body, great with the ball in open court situations. If Christyn makes 35-40 threes, that would be great. Can't help but notice the similarity of Kia starting as a freshman early in the season, and Christyn's forcing her way into the lineup in her first game.

The Bad - Gabby's 191 assists dwarfed Megan's 29 last season. Together, Kia and Gabby had 293 assists and 903 points. That is a lot of production for two underclassmen to cover. Gabby's 87 steals led the team and her 52 offensive rebounds were 2nd. Megan showed ability with her 23 offensive boards but will need to become a disrupter on defense with steals and blocks. Christyn is an unknown, but has above average rebounding skills and point guard passing ability. Let's hope...

The Ugly - Replacing two shut-down defenders in Kia and Gabby will be impossible early on in the season and very difficult even in March. Both Megan and Christyn are physically talented, quick players. But Geno & company's biggest challenge will be developing those two as strong defenders capable of switching on screens, guarding bigger players and doing all the little things Geno preaches for great defense. Time will tell...

It may not be pretty early in the season, but it will be exciting to watch Christyn and Megan rise to the challenge of starting for the 11 time National Champions. They came to Storrs to be great. Here's your chance..!! Good luck..!!

Go Huskies..!!

Great stuff as usual Dave. Thanks.

Breaking news..............This game WILL be televised (for free) via live stream by "Huskies All-Access".

 

[JordyG]

View attachment 35887

No sane coach or fan would trade graduated seniors Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, even up for sophomore Megan Walker & freshman Christyn Williams. That said, with UConn's season set to start Sunday vs Vanguard, it would appear Geno will replace Kia & Gabby with Megan & Christyn. Here is one fan's guess at how that will go.

The Good - Gabby was an uber-athletic, 5'11" forward more comfortable near the basket than farther away. She went 1-12 from three-point range during her career, but led the team in defensive rebounds last season with 215. Megan is an uber-athletic wing who made 13 threes as a freshman in limited minutes (495). She did gather 82 defensive rebounds in 1/2 the playing time. Megan needs to fill a big defensive rebound hole left by Gabby. Her offense is perhaps more versatile with extended shooting range and more free throws per minute, (49 in 1/2 the minutes vs 69 for Gabby).

Kia was a hard-nosed "nasty piece of work" who led the Husky fast break and was 2nd on the team with 85 threes. Christyn will most likely lead the fast break when possible and by all accounts is a strong body, great with the ball in open court situations. If Christyn makes 35-40 threes, that would be great. Can't help but notice the similarity of Kia starting as a freshman early in the season, and Christyn's forcing her way into the lineup in her first game.

The Bad - Gabby's 191 assists dwarfed Megan's 29 last season. Together, Kia and Gabby had 293 assists and 903 points. That is a lot of production for two underclassmen to cover. Gabby's 87 steals led the team and her 52 offensive rebounds were 2nd. Megan showed ability with her 23 offensive boards but will need to become a disrupter on defense with steals and blocks. Christyn is an unknown, but has above average rebounding skills and point guard passing ability. Let's hope...

The Ugly - Replacing two shut-down defenders in Kia and Gabby will be impossible early on in the season and very difficult even in March. Both Megan and Christyn are physically talented, quick players. But Geno & company's biggest challenge will be developing those two as strong defenders capable of switching on screens, guarding bigger players and doing all the little things Geno preaches for great defense. Time will tell...

It may not be pretty early in the season, but it will be exciting to watch Christyn and Megan rise to the challenge of starting for the 11 time National Champions. They came to Storrs to be great. Here's your chance..!! Good luck..!!

Go Huskies..!!

Too much sense making in this. I had to stop reading. At the end.

 

[Huskee11]

Great stuff!

UConn will miss Kia and Gabby on the defensive end, of course. Both stellar defenders, able to shut down opponents. Impossible to replace their individual defensive skills.

Megan showed signs of being a really good defender and rebounder. She will need to be if UConn is to be successful. We will soon see what CW brings on the defensive end. A possible boost for the defense would be greater contributions off the bench. Remember, the Defense in the ND Final Four game was not very good, sat in a passive zone much of the time due to foul trouble, injuries and lack of depth, turning Young into an all-world scorer.

Both Kia and Gabby were valued contributors on the offensive end as well, each in their own way. However, I am optimistic that this team will be able to put plenty of points on the board, more than enough to win if the defense holds up. Some of the scoring of Kia and Gabby will be picked up by Lou and Napheesa, I predict they will each average 22 points per game. I think your prediction of 35-40 threes for CW is conservative, I'm thinking at least 60-65. In fact, I think this team will set a UConn record for three pointers made in a season. All five starters are capable of lighting it up from three. It will be fun.

So, this team will be very successful but they will get it done in a different way. May have to simply outscore teams they have difficulty stopping. Works for Golden State.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[Carnac]

A high five and congratulations to all of you that predicted this line up to begin the season.

 

[Carnac]

Great stuff!

UConn will miss Kia and Gabby on the defensive end, of course. Both stellar defenders, able to shut down opponents. Impossible to replace their individual defensive skills.

Megan showed signs of being a really good defender and rebounder. She will need to be if UConn is to be successful. We will soon see what CW brings on the defensive end. A possible boost for the defense would be greater contributions off the bench. Remember, the Defense in the ND Final Four game was not very good, sat in a passive zone much of the time due to foul trouble, injuries and lack of depth, turning Young into an all-world scorer.

Both Kia and Gabby were valued contributors on the offensive end as well, each in their own way. However, I am optimistic that this team will be able to put plenty of points on the board, more than enough to win if the defense holds up. Some of the scoring of Kia and Gabby will be picked up by Lou and Napheesa, I predict they will each average 22 points per game. I think your prediction of 35-40 threes for CW is conservative, I'm thinking at least 60-65. In fact, I think this team will set a UConn record for three pointers made in a season. All five starters are capable of lighting it up from three. It will be fun.

So, this team will be very successful but they will get it done in a different way. May have to simply outscore teams they have difficulty stopping. Works for Golden State.

I will be a happy camper if....................Megan has a sophomore year similar to that of Gabby, and Christyn has a freshman year similar to that of Kia. Let the games begin!!

You said: "A possible boost for the defense would be greater contributions off the bench. Remember, the Defense in the ND Final Four game was not very good, sat in a passive zone much of the time due to foul trouble, injuries and lack of depth, turning Young into an all-world scorer".

A very accurate observation!!! Every returning reserve should have taken it personal that Geno's bench was "bankrupt" with respect to being void of anyone that could have gone in and given him some meaningful minutes once fouls put UConn's back to the wall, and their hands down to their sides (in addition to Lou being gassed), allowing ND to mount their come back. When the starters needed them, they weren't there for them. Geno almost pulled it off. It took and last second buzzer beating prayer in OT to beat him.

Every single reserve player should have worked tirelessly on their defense over the summer, to the point where they can now be counted on to play "UConn style" defense for 3-4 minutes at a time to give the starters a blow, even if they don't score a point, keep the man they're guarding in front of them, and keep them from scoring or doing anything with the ball that benefits their team.

 

[bbballfan23]

I thought an interesting statement was made by Pheesa in an interview after practice last week saying, “Losing great individual defenders like Gabby & Kia is tough but I think our team defense is better overall this year because we can’t just rely on them to do it all. Everyone needs to be locked in.”

 

[LasVegasYank]

The object of the game is still the same......score more points than the opponent.

I see the D evolving during the year as new combinations of players adjust to each other and to Geno's scheme. I also think that the offense will lead the way out of the gate and will continue at that pace throughout the year.

The offense stays great and the D gets better as the season wears on equals higher scoring margins later in the year.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[CajunHusky]

Kind of a glass half empty kind of post.

"No sane coach or fan would trade graduated seniors Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, even up for sophomore Megan Walker & freshman Christyn Williams. "

The reality of WCBB is seniors graduate and then you replace them. I can't think of any replacements better than MW or CW. They will both do just fine I think. I'm looking forward to seeing them mature as Huskies just as Gabby and Kia did in their four years.

 

[bbballfan23]

I don’t know why we think you’re just trading CW & MW for Gabby & Kia straight up? More responsibility for Pheesa, Lou & Crystal. That’s how this will work.

 

[Carnac]

I thought an interesting statement was made by Pheesa in an interview after practice last week saying, “Losing great individual defenders like Gabby & Kia is tough but I think our team defense is better overall this year because we can’t just rely on them to do it all. Everyone needs to be locked in.”

My point exactly!!!!

 

[CocoHusky]

I thought an interesting statement was made by Pheesa in an interview after practice last week saying, “Losing great individual defenders like Gabby & Kia is tough but I think our team defense is better overall this year because we can’t just rely on them to do it all. Everyone needs to be locked in.”

Also thought there was a notable comment by Muffet after ND's first exhibition game. "We (ND) just don't have the will to defend anybody". Thankfully that has never been an issue with a Auriemma coached team.

 

[CajunHusky]

Also thought there was a notable comment by Muffet after ND's first exhibition game. "We (ND) just don't have the will to defend anybody". Thankfully that has never been an issue with a Auriemma coached team.

at the end of the season that's true .... I think he might've agreed with Muffet's remarks after those last two Stanford losses.

 

[huskeynut]

You don't replace a Gabby or a Kia. Same way you don't replace a Stewie. You restructure your offense and defense according to the strengths of your presumed starters.

Megan and Christyn have their skill sets which will contribute to the whole. We may see a stumble here and there, its to be expected.

So let the games begin!!

 

[Geew1992]

This is crazy.....there was no one to replace D or Maya or Stewie....and ur comparing seniors to a freshman and sophomore....stop the madness

 

[BroadwayVa]

View attachment 35887

No sane coach or fan would trade graduated seniors Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, even up for sophomore Megan Walker & freshman Christyn Williams. That said, with UConn's season set to start Sunday vs Vanguard, it would appear Geno will replace Kia & Gabby with Megan & Christyn. Here is one fan's guess at how that will go.

The Good - Gabby was an uber-athletic, 5'11" forward more comfortable near the basket than farther away. She went 1-12 from three-point range during her career, but led the team in defensive rebounds last season with 215. Megan is an uber-athletic wing who made 13 threes as a freshman in limited minutes (495). She did gather 82 defensive rebounds in 1/2 the playing time. Megan needs to fill a big defensive rebound hole left by Gabby. Her offense is perhaps more versatile with extended shooting range and more free throws per minute, (49 in 1/2 the minutes vs 69 for Gabby).

Kia was a hard-nosed "nasty piece of work" who led the Husky fast break and was 2nd on the team with 85 threes. Christyn will most likely lead the fast break when possible and by all accounts is a strong body, great with the ball in open court situations. If Christyn makes 35-40 threes, that would be great. Can't help but notice the similarity of Kia starting as a freshman early in the season, and Christyn's forcing her way into the lineup in her first game.

The Bad - Gabby's 191 assists dwarfed Megan's 29 last season. Together, Kia and Gabby had 293 assists and 903 points. That is a lot of production for two underclassmen to cover. Gabby's 87 steals led the team and her 52 offensive rebounds were 2nd. Megan showed ability with her 23 offensive boards but will need to become a disrupter on defense with steals and blocks. Christyn is an unknown, but has above average rebounding skills and point guard passing ability. Let's hope...

The Ugly - Replacing two shut-down defenders in Kia and Gabby will be impossible early on in the season and very difficult even in March. Both Megan and Christyn are physically talented, quick players. But Geno & company's biggest challenge will be developing those two as strong defenders capable of switching on screens, guarding bigger players and doing all the little things Geno preaches for great defense. Time will tell...

It may not be pretty early in the season, but it will be exciting to watch Christyn and Megan rise to the challenge of starting for the 11 time National Champions. They came to Storrs to be great. Here's your chance..!! Good luck..!!

Go Huskies..!!

David--Very enjoyable and factual. Megan is not a novice either to BB, the Geno system or Div one big time BB she was in some big games this past late winter.
Humans are flawed and young humans a bit more. Still we have seen a Maya, Rene, Dt, Stewie (with a false start) take over games and produce beyond their years. Should we expect less of OkayDokey/ Cw/Chyrstn Williams? Confidence, i call a big ego, which means you are more than comfortable in your skin and know you have the ability others don't. (That is Chrystn).

Kia replaced Chong in the starting line up, early in her starting season and never released her grip on that. Gabby wasn't Gabby until her Soph year. I don't believe in comparing those we have to those that departed--if we still had Gabby and Kia they'd be starting and no discussions about Megan/CW starting.

Forgive me David for presenting my beliefs in a strong vane. But I don't think I differed too far from your point.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Kind of a glass half empty kind of post.

"No sane coach or fan would trade graduated seniors Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, even up for sophomore Megan Walker & freshman Christyn Williams. "

The reality of WCBB is seniors graduate and then you replace them. I can't think of any replacements better than MW or CW. They will both do just fine I think. I'm looking forward to seeing them mature as Huskies just as Gabby and Kia did in their four years.

Cajan--I beg to differ : no sane coach, etc. Let us wait 6 weeks then evaluate that response on both Megan and CW. I'm not disputing the talent or effort from those departed I'm just saying : wait and see.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Ok, I’m going out on a limb:

Christyn will live on the FT line and lead the team in FTAs.

Lou will have the best season since Maya (with hopefully a better ending).

 

[CajunHusky]

Cajan--I beg to differ : no sane coach, etc. Let us wait 6 weeks then evaluate that response on both Megan and CW. I'm not disputing the talent or effort from those departed I'm just saying : wait and see.

No argument here .... my post boils down to as you say let's wait and see. The quote "No sane coach .... " is not mine but the OP's.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I will be a happy camper if.....Megan has a sophomore year similar to that of Gabby, and Christyn has a freshman year similar to that of Kia. Let the games begin!!

You said: "A possible boost for the defense would be greater contributions off the bench. Remember, the Defense in the ND Final Four game was not very good, sat in a passive zone much of the time due to foul trouble, injuries and lack of depth, turning Young into an all-world scorer".

A very accurate observation!!! Every returning reserve should have taken it personal that Geno's bench was "bankrupt" with respect to being void of anyone that could have gone in and given him some meaningful minutes once fouls put UConn's back to the wall, and their hands down to their sides (in addition to Lou being gassed), allowing ND to mount their come back. When the starters needed them, they weren't there for them. Geno almost pulled it off. It took and last second buzzer beating prayer in OT to beat him.

Every single reserve player should have worked tirelessly on their defense over the summer, to the point where they can now be counted on to play "UConn style" defense for 3-4 minutes at a time to give the starters a blow, even if they don't score a point, keep the man they're guarding in front of them, and keep them from scoring or doing anything with the ball that benefits their team.

Geno's relationship with the bench as he has often stated is :TRUST. Who can he trust from this bench to hold the line, not necessarily increase the score, and play good hard (not perfect ) defense? Scoop, your postings have a lot of insight

 

[BroadwayVa]

No argument here .... my post boils down to as you say let's wait and see. The quote "No sane coach .... " is not mine but the OP's.

No offense intended and none received, just commenting on a comment. I guess it was more general--let us ALL wait for Megan and CW to have some time under their sneakers.

 

[JordyG]

Ok, I’m going out on a limb:

Christyn will live on the FT line and lead the team in FTAs.

Lou will have the best season since Maya (with hopefully a better ending).

You were one of the first to note that CW's game has an affinity with James Harden's, so living at the line is a really good thing. Let's hope however, and all indications seems to be so, that CW plays defense.

 

[maccca3232]

I also disagree, I believe every coach would trade their graduated seniors for the #1 rated players from the last two years. Seriously, what more could they possibly ask for?

 

[MilfordHusky]

You were one of the first to note that CW's game has an affinity with James Harden's, so living at the line is a really good thing. Let's hope however, and all indications seems to be so, that CW plays defense.

The Legend begins on Sunday!

 

[JordyG]

The Legend begins on Sunday!

Hopefully it will never end. The power of the puff! I cancelled a equipment/music date where I would preview some new audio equipment in order to watch a Sunday exhibition game. No way that stuff it wrong.

 

[JustinesGuy]

If Geno is starting CW this early that is a good sign for us. He would never start a freshman unless he thought she was more than ready. I thought he would start BC until CW was ready.
Regarding losing the seniors, isn’t it always painful. The world moves on and it’ll allow others to step up. Wasn’t thst our problem the past few years, a solid team but no go to player when it really counted. Plenty capable options but no player willing to take charge.
I’ll get slaughtered on here for saying this but I’m not sweating losing gabby. True, she was an athletic wonder and had some great performances but she was very inconsistent and injured/over emotional. Kia is the bigger loss but again we’re going to be fine. If CW is who we think she is, we’re good at guard. Mind u we have no depth.
We will be real good this year if we have O INJURIES. If one key player is out for any extended amount of time, god forbid two we are dead. That’s how fragile this year is.
Next year can even be more concerning.

 

[LasVegasYank]

A high five and congratulations to all of you that predicted this line up to begin the season.

Thanks but it wasn't that hard. Lou, Pheesa and Crystal Dangerfield were locks. After that, we just listened to Geno praise CW and MW. Add that to their #! status coming out and bingo!

I just listened to the brain trust here, the most knowledgeable fan base in all of college womens' basketball, bar none.

Take a bow guys.

 

[Bigboote]

The Bad - Gabby's 191 assists dwarfed Megan's 29 last season. Together, Kia and Gabby had 293 assists and 903 points. That is a lot of production for two underclassmen to cover. Gabby's 87 steals led the team and her 52 offensive rebounds were 2nd. Megan showed ability with her 23 offensive boards but will need to become a disrupter on defense with steals and blocks. Christyn is an unknown, but has above average rebounding skills and point guard passing ability. Let's hope...

The Ugly - Replacing two shut-down defenders in Kia and Gabby will be impossible early on in the season and very difficult even in March. Both Megan and Christyn are physically talented, quick players. But Geno & company's biggest challenge will be developing those two as strong defenders capable of switching on screens, guarding bigger players and doing all the little things Geno preaches for great defense. Time will tell...

I'm curious how many of Gabby's assists were to Collier right under the basket. I don't know whether it will be Megan or Lou in the high-low with Napheesa. But whoever is, if Napheesa doesn't magically lose her uncanny ability to make the perfect cut to get free, will have the opportunity to get a LOT of assists.

I think it's highly likely that Megan, who has a great offensive tool kit, will be a better scorer than Gabby. I'm not sure that Christyn will be a better scorer as a freshman than Kia was as a senior, but I think it's possible. So I think there's a chance that what they lose in defense, they will make up in offense. We'll see.

 

[Longtime fan]

Great stuff as usual Dave. Thanks.

Breaking news....This game WILL be televised (for free) via live stream by "Huskies All-Access".

I will watch if I can figure out how to access"Huskies All Access." But why are we playing a pick-up team from a mutual fund?